Hey'a, all! So, we all know that many bookworms are a bit like dragons, in that we tend to hoard books and dislike even the suggestion that we might get rid of a single volume. Unfortunately, at some point, weeding the collection does become necessary — namely, when one runs out of both shelf space and space to put more shelves, which is my current situation. This means that, over the past few weeks, I've been working on going through my books, figuring out what I'm keeping and what's going to our local used bookstore (and also figuring out how to organize what I'm holding onto). It's still a work in progress, but I've gotten enough of the way through to have some thoughts to share with other bookworms tackling the same sort of project.

On Getting Rid of Books

1. It's ok to get rid of books that everyone else loves (even if they're classics). One of the big choices I've made in the process of weeding my shelves was deciding to get rid of a few series that are wildly popular, but which I'm kind of meh about. Some of these are books that I did like at one point, but which I enjoy less now. Others are books that I thought I should like, even if I hadn't read them yet, because they were popular, influential, and practically classics. The common thread was that they were books I was keeping because I felt like I was socially obliged to own them, not because I really still wanted them. But I'm not a public library, so why should social obligation force me to hang onto books I don't expect to read often (or at all) when I could instead clear more space for the stories I love?
2. There's always the library. Speaking of libraries, this is probably the most helpful thing for me to keep in mind when figuring out whether to keep or pass on a book. After all, in most cases, getting rid of a book doesn't mean losing access to it — not when I have library cards at three or four different libraries. If I decide I want to reread something or give a particular series another try, I can most likely borrow it either in physical or digital form. Maybe I won't be able to pick up a book on a whim, but that's not the end of the world. Granted, this is less true for indie books than it is for traditionally published ones . . . but most of the books that the first point applies to are traditionally-published. Plus, a lot of my indie collection is duplicated in digital thanks to ebook sales and giveaways.
3. Books are meant to be read. This is the other most helpful thing for me to keep in mind. The chief purpose of a book is to be read. If I'm keeping a book because I think I'll reread it, even if I might not do so in the immediate future, that's great. But if I don't think I'll read or reread it, then holding onto it is kind of silly — like someone who lives in an apartment building keeping a lawnmower. It's better to pass the book on to someone else who'll enjoy it and want to reread it again and again, whether I do that directly or via a used bookstore. And if I'm wrong and it turns out I do want to read or reread it after all? Again, that's what the library is for.
4. It's ok to keep books for sentimental reasons even if you're not likely to reread them. While this might seem to contradict the previous point, I think it is a valid exception. I have some books on my shelves that I don't think I'll reread in the near future but which I don't think I'd ever give up if I had a choice. For example, I have a pair of fairy tale retellings that, to be frank, I don't like half as much now as I did when I first encountered them — but I had them signed by the author at one of the first author events I ever attended, so they're special to me and I'm reluctant to part with them. As another example, I still own a fair number of my favorite books from when I was a kid, before I discovered fantasy — books I've outgrown, but to which I still attach fond memories — but I keep them on a separate shelf from the rest of my collection, so they aren't competing with current favorites for space. Even if these books aren't being read, the fact that I have them still brings me pleasure in the form of reminders of good memories, and that's a valid reason to hold onto them.
5. Having a separate shelf for owned-but-unread books would probably be a good idea . . . if I had the space. I feel like this would help both with future efforts at book-weeding and with making sure I actually, y'know, read the books in question. The shelf would serve as a reminder of what books I still needed to read, and it would also give me a single place to look when I'm trying to decide what to read next. I could start there and check to see if any of my unread books fit my mood at the time, then move them to their proper places after I finish. However, doing this would require having at least one shelf clear of other books, and I'm not sure that's going to happen even after I finish weeding. We'll see.

What's your process for getting rid of books (if you have one)? What do you think of keeping all owned-but-unread books in one place? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!